Timing mechanism for driers, scorchers, and formers



Sept. 27, 1932. F. SMITH ET AL TIMING MECHANISM FOR DRIERS, SCORCHERS, AND FORMERS Filed Sept. 23. 1950 2 Shets-Sheet l INVEN 1012s. FF/WV/f 644/ 77/. "Wm/E A! Bye/(5R,

A TTORNEY Sept. 27, 1932. F. SMITH ET AL 1,880,114

TIMING MECHANISM FOR DRIERS, SCORCHERS, AND FORMERS Filed Sept. 23. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Federated Sept. 27, 1%)? UNITED ATENT OFF FRANK SMITH, OF OAK LANE, AND WAYNE M. BARKER, 0F PHILADELPHIA,

" PENNSYLVANIA TIMING MECHANISM FOR DRIERS, SCORCHERS, AND FORMERS Application filed September 23, 1930. Serial No. 483,812.

This invention, stated in its broadest terms, relates to so-called mat driers or scorchers, and has more especial relation to timing mechanism therefor.

As well known, printing of any matter in mass, for example, newspapers, is done by stereotype plates, obtained by making a paper matrix. Since presses used for newspaper purpose are commonly cylindrical, the matrix'for the stereotype must be correspondingly curved. Further, since the matrix is moist and speed is fundamental to newspaper work, the matrix has to be dried in a suitable heater.

As at present practiced, it is necessary for the attendant in charge to stand by this mat drier or scorcher and accurately time a drying period and immediately lift the lid or cover of the machine otherwise the matrix becomes over cooked, as it is termed in the trade, and so renders the same useless for the purpose intended, Not only is this an expensive procedure, but since speed is of the essence of newspaper work, the loss of time forms an important factor.

The leading object of the present invention may be said to reside in the provision of a timing mechanism for mat driers or scorchers whereby the above recited disadvantages may be overcome and the necessity for having an attendant constantly present during a drying period obviated.

Another object is to provide a timing mechanism for mat driers or scorchers in which the elapsed time in which the matrix remains in the machine is not left to the judgment of the attendant in charge but is pre-determined and automatically governed by the timing mechanism.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement of parts whereby the services of an attendant to-manually open the lid or cover of a mat drier or scorcher is obviated.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide means controlled by the timing mechanism for automatically shutting off the vacuum supply employed for retaining the matrix in position with respect to the lid or cover during'a drying period.

A still further object of the present invention resides in the provision of timing mechanism operable by the driving shaft of the vacuum pump of the mat drier or scorcher,

Other and further objects of the present 5,5 invention reside in the provision of a general arrangement, combination, association and connection of parts for attaining the results sought by the foregoing objects.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction hereinafter described and finally claimed.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation, with certain parts broken away for clearer illustration, of a. mat drier or scorcher embodying m the invention and showing the lid or cover in lowered position for a drying period;

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the lid or cover elevated and the relative position of timer parts after functioning; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating the mercury tubes employed in conjunction with the timing mechanism for making and breaking electrical connections.

For the purpose of illustrating our invention We have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at pres ent preferred by us, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood as that the various instrumentalities of which our invention consists can be variously ar ranged and organized and that our invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referring now to thedrawings in detail, the reference numeral 10 designates a generally rectangular shaped frame mounted upon a suitable base 11, said frame carrying at its top a support 12 arranged to sustain a generally semi-circular shaped electrical heating element 13. Hinged as at 14 to the support 12 is a semi-circular hollow lid or cover 15, flanged at 16 at its forward por- 1W tion, and arranged to fit snugly upon the support 12 to form more or less of a seal therewith, so that in closed position of the lid or cover a vacuum chamber 17 is provided, best seen in Fig. 1. The lid or cover 15 1s provided with a vent 18 in communication with the vacuum chamber 17 and connected, by means of one or more flexible conduits 19, with a pipe 22, which latter is connected to vacuum creating means, preferably an electrically driven vacuum pump 20 shown as being mounted upon base 11, and operatively connected by means of laterally arranged horizontal shaft 21 with an electric motor, not shown. Interposed in the plpe 22 between the vacuum pump 20 and the flexible conduits 19 is a valve 23 whereby at predetermined intervals the vacuum supply may be cut off by timing mechanism in a manner presently to appear. The timing mechanism is also arranged to control the automatic opening of the lid or cover 15, and, 1f desired, may control a signal, shown In the drawings as being a bell 24.

A description will now be given of the timing mechanism and its operation. The motor shaft 21 has fixed thereto a small worm gear 25 meshing with a large worm gear 26 mounted upon a horizontally extended longitudinal shaft 27 mounted in bearings 28 and 29 of the two part gear enclosing casings 30 and 31. These casings 30 and 31 are supported upon the base 11 of the machine and serve to provide means to retain lubricating material for the worm gears 25 and 26 and the worm gears 32 and 33. The horizontal shaft 27 has fixed thereto the worm gear 32 which meshes with a worm gear 33 fixed to vertically disposed shaft 34. The lower section of this vertically disposed shaft 34 is rotatable in bearings 71 of the gear casing 31 and the upper section of said-shaft is rotatable in a bearing 74 carried by bracket 37 which latter is fixed to gear casing 31. The upper portion of shaft 34 is provided with collars, the adjacent faces of which are serrated or toothed for intermeshing during a drying period and are arranged for disengagement at predetermined intervals. The collar 38 is loose on the middle section of the shaft 34 and has fulcrumed thereto a lever 39 one end of which has pivotal relation with a link 40 pivoted to the hinged lid or cover and the opposite end of which lever has pivotal relation with the bracket 37, so that as the lid or cover 15 is automatically opened in a manner to be presently described, the link 40 moves lever 39 around its fulcrumed point to disengage collar 38 from collar 41, which latter is frictionally driven by collar 38 on said vertical shaft 34, said collar 41 ceasing to revolve with shaft 34, it being understood that the collar 38 is provided with an annular groove to accommodate the fulcrum point of lever 39 as the shaft 34 and collar 38 continue to revolve. Fixed to the upper collar 41 is a horizontally disposed disc 43 having a pendant lug 44 arranged to engage, once in every rotation of disc 43, and depress the free end of a short lever 45 fulcrumed to bracket 37 and pivoted to a link 46 which link in turn is pivoted to a lever 47 fulcrumed to gear casing 31 and carries a pair of mercury containing tubes 48 and 49, best seen in Fig. 3, the function of which will now be described. These tubes 48 and 49 are carried by a cross member 50 fixed to lever 47 and during a drying period are in the position shown in Figs. 1

and 3, with the mercury in the tubes free of the contacts 51 of tube 48 and also free of contacts 58 of tube48. 'The contacts 51 are in electrical connection by leads 52 with an electromagnet 53 arranged at the front of the machine and adapted when energized to unlatch the lid or cover 15 from the support 12 in order that the lid or cover may automatically 0 en .to the position shown in Fig. 2. For his purpose the electromagnet 53 is provided with a vertically movable core 54 pivoted to which is a link 55 having pivotal connection with a lever 56 fulcrumed to the frame 10, which frame has pivoted thereto a latch 57 for engaging the flange 16 of the lid or cover 15, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, so that when the electromagnet is energized the latch 57 is disengaged from the lid or cover, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The

contacts 58 of the tube 49 are in electrical connection by means of leads 59 with an electromagnet 60 carried by the support 12 and arranged when energized to shut off the vac,- uum supply from the vacuum pump 20. For this purpose the electromagnet 60 is provided with a horizontally arranged core 61 having pivotal relation with an arm 62 connected with the rotary valve 23 in pipe 22, and the core 61 also has pivotal relation with the lower end of a lever 63 fulcrumed as at 64 to the support 12. Thus, when the mercury within tube 49 bridges the contacts 58 the electromagnet 60 is energized to move the valve 23 from open to closed position so that the vacuum supply from vacuum pump 20 to the vent 18 of the lid or cover 15 is broken, as is plainly shown in Fig. 2. If desired, at the same time the lid or cover 15 is automatically opened the bell 24 may be caused to ring as the mercury within tube 65 bridges a pair of contacts electrically connected by leads 66 with said hell, it being understood in the connection that the lever 39 is provided with an arm 67 which carries the mercury tube 65 to tilt the same from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2. The lid or cover 15 has connected therewith a coiled spring 68 which is connected between the base 11 and the lid or cover adjacent its hinged point so that the lid or cover may be retained in open position, as shown in Fig. 2, after the lid or cover has been automatically released.

The operation of the above described apparatus is as follows A mat or matrix to be dried (it being assumed that the parts arein the position shown in Fig. 2) is placed within the semi-circular lid or cover and the flange 16 of the lid or cover caused to engage beneath the latch 57 With the closing of the lid or cover 15 the link raises the lever 39 about its fulcrum point'and thereby causes the collar 38 to engage the collar 41 so that with rotation of shaft 34 the disc 43 is rotated for a single revolution, it being understood that the lug 44 is positioned with respect to the disc 43 to operate the lever 45 once during revolution of the said disc. In practice the lug 44 is positioned with respect to the disc 43 so as to function once every minute, as this has been found to be a proper time in which to dry a mat or matrix. Obviously, however, the lug 44 may be positioned to function at greater or less intervals of time. lVith the shaft 34 and its disc 42 rotating through the medium of the shaft 27 and its worm gear connections with the motor shaft 21 the mat or matrix remains Within the vacuum chamher of the machine during one revolution of the disc 42. In this connection it will be understood that the lever 63 has been manually shifted to open the valve 23 to permit a vacuum supply through the flexible connections 19 to the vacuum chamber 70. It is also to be noted that the latch 57 meanwhile has been caused to engage the flange 16 of the lid or cover 15 to tightly close the-said lid or cover. These positions of parts are clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. heated air through the flexible connections 19 through the medium of the vacuum pump, the mat or matrix is dried during the predetermined time it takes for disc 42 to make one energized through its electrical connections 59.

to move the lever 63 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, thereby closing valve 23 and interrupting the suction of heated air from the vacuum chamber 17. Simultaneously, the bridging of contacts 51 energizes electromagnet 53. through its electrical connections 52 to move upwardly the,

connections 54-55 to move the lever 56 around its pivot point, thereby throwing out wardly the latch 57 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. With the release of the latch 57 the spring 68 functions to cause the lid or cover 15 to move around'its hinged connection from the position shown in Fig. l to that shown With the suction ofin Fig. 2, so that ready access may be had to the dried mat or matrix. Assuming that the bell 24 is employed, it is caused to ring simultaneously with the tilting of lever 39 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, through the electrical connections 66 from the mercury tube 65, thus notifying the attendant in charge that the lid or cover 15 has been opened.

In the above described operation of parts it will be understood that various elements are so operatively connected one with respect to the other and timed that they function in unison. As an example it may happen that suction be present between the lower rim of the cover and the top ofthe frame upon which it rests in closed position, and to guard against sticking of these parts we employ a floating pin 7 0 operative througha hole in the frame with the bottom end of the pin resting upon the latch link so that as the latch is released the pin moves up to free the vacuum present between the cover bottom and frame top. Also the lower end of link 40 isslotted at the point it is pivoted to lever 39 so that sullicient lost motion is present to permit proper movement of the parts as the cover opens. The vertical shaft of the timer mechanism rotates upon a spherical bearing 71 to facilitate easy movement. The rod 72 carrying the spring 68 which is connected to the cover functions through an opening in bracket 73 to take care of the lid or cover in open position. Also, the core of the electromagnet controlling the cover latch has a connection of parts with sufiicient lost motion to permit the latch to properly function when its electromagnet is energized. By reason of the thrust washer 74 and collar 41 which is loose on vertical shaft 34 and collar 38 which is held by a loose key, said collars 41 and 38 are enabled to cooperatively engage at the proper time for efficient functioning.

What we claim is:

1. A matrix drier comprising a heating element, a spring pressed hinged coverenelosing said heating element, a vacuum pump for creating fluid pressure for holding a matrix firmly against the inner face of said cover, a latch for normally maintaining said cover closed, a valve for governing the fluid pressure supply, timing mechanism mechanically connected with said vacuum pump means operatively connecting said timing i'nechanism' with said valve, and independent means operatively connecting said timing mechanism with said latch for its disengagement.

2. A matrix drier comprising a heating element, a spring pressed hinged cover enclosing said heating element, a vacuum pump for 3 creating fluid pressure for holding a matrix firmly against the inner face of said cover, a latch for normally maintaining said cover closed. a valve for governing the fluid pa'essure supply, timing mechanism mechanically connected with said vacuum pump means including an electromagnet operatively connecting said timing mechanism with said valve, and independent means including an electromagnct operatively connecting said timing mechanism with said latch for its disengagement.

3. A matrix drier comprisin a heating element, a spring pressedhinged cover enclosing said heating element, a vacuum pump including a horizontal drive shaft for creating fluid pressure for holding a matrix firm- 1y against the inner face of said cover, a latch for normally maintaining said cover closed, a valve for governing the fluid pressure supply, timing mechanism arranged upon a verticallydisposed shaft, a horizontal shaft including a series of gears operatively connect ing the drive shaft of said'vacuum pump with the vertical shaft of said timing mechanism, electrically controlled means for operating said latch and said valve, and mechanical means carried by said timer mechanism operative to cause said electrically controlled means to function with each complete revolution of said vertical shaft. 7

4. A matrix drier comprising a heating element, a spring pressed hinged cover enclosing said heating element, a vacuum pump including a horizontal drive shaft for creating fluid pressure for holding a matrix firm- 1y against the inner face of said cover, a latch for normally maintaining said cover closed, a valve for governing the fluid pressure supply, timing mechanism arranged upon a vertically disposed shaft, a horizontal shaft 1ncluding a series of gears operatively connecting the drive shaft of said vacuum pump with the vertical shaft of said timing mechanism, electrically controlled means for operating said latch and said valve, and mechanical means including a rotatable disc and a system of levers carried by said timer mechanism operative to cause said electrically controlled means to function with each complete revolution of said vertical shaft.

5. A matrix drier comprising a heating element, a spring pressed hinged cover enclosing said heating element, a vacuum pump including a horizontal drive shaft for creating fluid pressure for holding a matrix firmly against the inner face of said cover, a latch for normally maintaining said cover closed, a valve for governing the fluid pressure supply, timing mechanism arranged upon a vertically disposed shaft, a horizontal shaft including a series of gears operatively connecting the drive shaft of said vacuum pump with the vertical shaft of said timing mechanism, electrically controlled means including electromagnets and tiltable -mercury tubes for operating said latch and said valve, and mechanical means carried by said timer mechanism operative to cause said electrically controlled means to function with each complete revolution of said vertical shaft.

6. A matrix drier comprising a heating element, a spring pressed hinged cover en- I closing said heating element, a vacuum pump tically disposed shaft, a horizontal shaft in cluding a series of gears operatively connecting the drive shaft of said vacuum pump with the vertical shaft of said timing mechanism, electrically controlled means for operating said latch and said valve, mechanical means carried by said timer mechanism operative to cause said electrically controlled means to function with each complete revolution of said vertical shaft, a signal device, and means operative between said timing mechanism and signal device for causing the latter to function upon release of said latch.

7. A mat drier comprising in combination an oven, a spring pressed cover for normally closing said oven, a latch for retaining said cover in closed position, a vacuum pump for creating fluid pressure to retain a mat against the inner face of said cover in its closed position, a valve for the fluid pressure supply, timing mechanism, including a constantly driven shaft operative by said vacuum pump, a disc provided with a serrated collar and pendant lug fixed to said shaft, a serrated collar loose upon said shaft and arranged for shiftable engagement with said fixed collar, tiltable mercury containing tubes arranged for making and breaking electrical contacts, means arranged in the path of travel of said disc-lug for causing said tubes to function, and electromagnets for operating said latch and said valve electrically connected with respect to said mercury containing tubes.

8. A mat drier comprising in combination an oven, a spring pressed cover for normally closing said oven, a latch for retaining said cover in closed position, a vacuum pump for creating fluid pressure to retain a mat against the inner face of said cover in its closed p0sition, a valve for the fluid pressure supply, timing mechanism including a constantly driven shaft operative by said vacuum pump, a disc provided with a serrated collar and pendant lug fixed to said shaft, :1 serrated collar loose upon said shaft and arranged for shiftable engagement with said fixed collar, tiltable mercury containing tubes arranged for making and breaking electrical contacts, means arranged in the path of travel of said disc-lug for causing said tubes to function, electromagnets for operating said latch and said valve electrically connected with respect to said mercury containing tubes, a signal device, operative'from a tiltable mercury con- 1,eso,114

taining tube for making and breaking electrical contact, and a pair of levers operatively connected between said tube and said cover, one of which levers has fulcrumed relation with said loose collar.

9.' A mat drier comprising in combination an oven, a spring pressed cover for normally closing said oven, a latch for retaining said cover in closed position, a vacuum pump for creating fluid pressure to retain a mat against 7 the inner face of said cover in its closed position, a valve for the fluid pressure supply, timing mechanism including a constantly driven shaft operative by said vacuum pump, a disc provided with a serrated collar and pendant lug fixed to said shaft, a serrated collar loose upon said shaft and arranged for shiftable engagement with said fixed collar, tiltable mercury containing tubes movable in unison and arranged for making and brealiing electrical contacts, means including a system of levers arranged in the path of travel of said disc-lug for causing said tubes to function, and electromagnets for operating said latch and said valve electrically connected with respect to said mercury containing tubes.

10. A mat drier comprising in combination an oven, :1 spring pressed cover for normally closing said oven, a latch for retaining said cover in closed position, a vacuum pump for creating fluid pressure to retain a mat against the inner face of said cover in its closed position, a valve for the fluid pressure supply, a manually operable lever connected with said valve, timing mechanism including a con stantly driven shaft operative by said vacuum pump, a disc provided with a serrated collar and pendantlug fixed to said shaft, a serrated collar loose upon said shaft and arranged for shiftable engagement with said fixed collar, tiltable mercury containing tubes arranged for making and breaking electrical contacts, means arranged in the path of travel of said disc-lug for causing said tubes to function, and electromagnets for operating said latch and said valve including the manually operable lever electrically connected with respect to said mercury containing tubes.

11. A construction of parts as described in claim 1 characterized by a frame upon which the bottom of said cover normally rests, and a floating pin arranged between the bottom of said cover and top of said frame to release suction between said cover and frame.

FRANK SMITH. WAYNE M. BARKER. 

